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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26436376">Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustess/pseuds/Faustess'>Faustess</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Arguing, Artist Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes as Captain America, Communication, First Dates, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Holding Hands, Kid Peter Parker, M/M, Misunderstandings, Parent Tony Stark, Pre-Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pre-Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Pre-Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, StarkBucksBingo2020, Steve Rogers Flirts, Steve Rogers Has Issues, Steve Rogers is Not Captain America, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:34:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,007</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26436376</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustess/pseuds/Faustess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An artist, a super-soldier, and a billionaire walk into a bar - you haven't heard this one yet, have you?</p><p>Tony Stark, recently divorced dad, head of Stark Industries' R&amp;D department, and Iron Man, has been lonely.  Rhodey's the best co-parent anyone could ask for, but he's moving on... and Tony's lonely.</p><p>Bucky Barnes was pulled out of the ice almost five years ago.  Even now, he's still not comfortable with the celebrity that goes along with being Captain America.  And it's isolating being both younger than your teammates and at least 3 generations older. Bucky's lonelier than he'd ever thought possible.</p><p>Steve Rogers made a name for himself as a graphic designer and illustrator - good with both digital apps and hand-drawn sketches.  But romantically, there may as well be tumbleweeds and dust in his bedroom - it's that close to a ghost town.  It's hard to be taken seriously, though when you're 5'4" and 100 lbs soaking wet... and that's a lonely life.</p><p>So a better way to phrase this would be:  three lonely hearts walk into a bar to see what they can find.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Stuckony Summer Stocking 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/gifts">HogwartsToAlexandria</a>.</li>



        <li>In response to a prompt by
            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/pseuds/HogwartsToAlexandria">HogwartsToAlexandria</a>  in the  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stuckony_summer_stocking_2020">stuckony_summer_stocking_2020</a>
          collection.
        </li>
    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>To fill the prompt:<br/>- Cap Bucky, IM Tony and pre-serum Steve walk into a bar, having never seen each other in their lives. What happens?</p><p>This also fills:<br/>StarkBucks Bingo B2: Leap of Faith<br/>Bucky Barnes Bingo: K1 - Vulnerability</p><p>(I filled the prompt and then looked to see if I could fit it into any of my bingos.  :)  )</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re sure this is all right with you, Honeybear?” Tony asked for the nth time on the doorstep.</p><p>“Tones, this is why people thing we’re still married,” Rhodey said, smiling and chuckling.  “Peter’s fine.  We have joint custody for a reason, right?”  He shifted the three-year-old in question in his arms.</p><p>Tony ran his fingers through his hair, “That’s not what I meant.  I mean, I don’t want to take advantage of your time.  This is my week with Peter and – ”</p><p>“If it wasn’t okay, I’d say no and tell you to get a sitter.  Life happens, stuff comes up.”  Rhodey made and held eye contact.  “You are a good dad, Tony.  There’s nobody in the world I’d rather co-parent with.”  He grinned.  “Now go have some fun.  Shoo.”</p><p>“Shoe!” Peter agreed with glee, showing off one of his little red sneakers.</p><p>Rhodey chuckled, “That’s right, Shortstack.”</p><p>Tony kissed Peter on the cheek, “Be good for Daddy, okay?  See you later, buddy!”  Tony waved at both of them and gave Rhodey one more grateful smile before he was on his way.</p><p>He didn’t have big plans.  He was just going to have a couple of drinks at a bar with another grownup.  Conversation about Peppa Pig and the Rescue Bots would not be allowed.  Maybe he’d get lucky – who could say?</p><p>He used to feel like he was interesting enough to pull this off, but these days, it seemed like dates were few and far between.  A lot of the people he’d tried to date didn’t want to hear that Tony Stark, SI executive and superhero couldn’t go out because he had a preschool-age kid at home.  At least it was a quick way to weed out the people who weren’t worth a second date, though.</p><p>All that aside, the matchmaking app he was currently using had found a couple of guys that he was looking forward to meeting.  He had a date with one tonight and one next weekend.  James was who he was meeting tonight.  Next Saturday was Steve.  They were both fun to chat with online, but so far, they were on a first name-basis only. Hopefully one of the two would pan out, though.</p><p>He was just 'Tony.'  His profile pic was one that he’d taken when Peter was really tiny and his goatee had scratched the baby’s skin, so he’d shaved it off.  So, he’d misled these guys, but not really <i>lied</i>.  Hopefully being Tony <i>Stark</i> wasn’t a deal-breaker.</p><p>After parking his car, Tony lingered, staring at the ground floor gastropub.  He’d suggested it because it had good food and <i>excellent</i> cocktails – decent craft beer and wine list too, if that was their thing.  Tony said a silent prayer to whatever gods might be listening – he wasn’t picky these days.  <i>Please, please let this not be awkward. </i></p><p> </p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p> </p><p>Bucky fiddled with his hair – again – and looked in the mirror.  He looked fine, he supposed, but while being Captain America landed him with a lot of thirsty fans, he didn’t like dating them.  Inevitably, they were disappointed with Bucky Barnes.  Nat had taken the photo he used for his profile picture when he was in the middle of saying ‘what?’ so he looked perpetually befuddled, but at least he didn’t look like the newspaper version of Cap.  Still, he wanted a second date with this guy, so he was making an effort to look good.</p><p>“Are you still here?” Clint asked as he walked past Bucky’s door in the Avengers Headquarters.  “I thought you had a hot date.”  He waggled his eyebrows and licked cheesy puff dust off his fingers.  “Not too late to get in on Mario Kart if you’re chickening out.”</p><p>Scowling, Bucky grumbled, “I’m not chickening out.”  This one was really cute – <i>Tony</i>.  “I’m going, I’m going.”</p><p>“You don’t sound very enthusiastic, big guy.”  Clint offered the bag of cheese-flavored treats.</p><p>“It’ll be fun once I’m there,” Bucky said and tried to sound happier.</p><p>The trouble was, though, Bucky was nervous.  Tony was funny, smart, charming… it had to be a scam.  Nobody that perfect was single, he thought to himself as he walked down to the garage.  He swung a leg over his motorcycle and started the bike.  As it roared to life, Bucky tried not to think about anything else other than the directions and maneuvering the bike through traffic.</p><p>When he arrived, Bucky checked the address and the name of the restaurant again – just to be sure.  Yep – this was the right place.  He walked in and looked around, but didn’t see Tony anywhere. Well, maybe he was running late too - it was only five minutes past.</p><p>Bucky walked over and stood at the bar to wait.  There were enough tables for the place to be lively, but not so many as to feel crowded, a good place for a date – assuming his showed up.  What was he going to say if Tony stood him up?  It’d take a while for him to live that down – somebody standing up Captain America.</p><p>The bartender slid him his drink and Bucky stabbed at the ice cubes with the little red straw.</p><p>“What did that ice ever do to you?”</p><p>Bucky looked up, startled to see a short, slim blonde giving him an amused smile.</p><p>He half-laughed, “Me an’ ice have a long-standing animosity.  Pretty sure it’s mutual.”  Bucky sighed and looked around, “I’m supposed to meet somebody, but I don’t see him yet.”  He couldn’t help but smile back at the clear blue eyes.  “I’m James.”</p><p>“Well James, I’m Steve.  Nice to meet you.”  Steve had a glass of what looked suspiciously like seltzer water in front of him.  “I’m here to meet somebody too, but if your date and mine don’t show up… you want to get to know each other better?”  One of his eyebrows rose ever so slightly and he grinned.</p><p>“I bet we could do that, yeah,” Bucky winked and grinned back.</p><p> </p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p> </p><p>Steve had been at the bar for about fifteen minutes when the beefy brunette stood next to him and ordered his drink.  He’d wanted to get there early in case today was a bad asthma day, so he wouldn’t be wheezing and panting when Tony arrived.</p><p>Maybe he was a little bit nervous too.  He was a graphic designer and maybe he’d ‘enhanced’ his profile pic a tad... and said he was 5’ 11” – six feet had seemed too pat to him.  So, his 5’ 4” self had lied shamelessly.  The setup had worked great when the only thing the guys wanted was phone sex or sexchat… at least until now, when there was actually somebody he wanted to meet.</p><p>Just then, James looked up toward the door.  Steve was just able to pick up, “…table under the name Tony?”</p><p><i>Well, that’s my date.  Time to say see you later to James – maybe I can still get his number.</i>  Steve turned around to greet his date only to hear James say, “Tony?”</p><p>Tony said, “James!” sounding both happy and relieved.  Then Tony said, “Steve?”  This time sounding more… confused than anything else.</p><p>“Stark?”  Shit.  His date Tony was Tony <i>Stark</i>?!  And <i>his</i> Tony was <i>James’s</i> Tony?  “What the fuck?”</p><p> </p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p> </p><p>“James!” Tony was delighted that he’d been able to successfully identify his date and that he didn’t look like a serial killer from here.  In fact, James looked a lot like Bucky Barnes, Captain America.  He could do a lot worse.  Tony's stomach did a joyful little flip of excitement.</p><p>The feeling of pleased recognition when Tony saw James drained away when Steve turned around.  <i>What the hell was he doing here?  Wasn’t he supposed to be taller?</i></p><p>“Stark?  What the fuck?” Steve asked like they knew each other outside the dating site.  Steve always had looked a little bit familiar, but the fine-boned blonde in front of him felt doubly so.  He wracked his brain trying to place him.</p><p>Both men stared at him and the split-second of astonishment faded.  Tony put on a smile as though he was greeting members of the press, “Hi there, you two.  Glad you could make it.  I got us a table upstairs in the loft area.  Hope you don’t mind.  Sorry if I kept you waiting.”</p><p>Tony cringed at the businessman drivel tumbling from his lips.  To the hostess who was seating them, he said, “I’ll have a gin and jam cocktail and I’ll pick up their tab.  They’re with me.”</p><p>Only after those words got away from him did he remember Rhodey’s advice when they’d talked about Tony meeting people from the dating site in real life.  “You don’t have to buy them, Tones.  They’re there because they like you.”  <i>Well, not anymore</i> – that much was obvious from the oppressive silence around him.</p><p>Since destabilizing his molecules and seeping into the floor wasn’t an option (he did eventually have to go back and pick Peter up), he’d take a sip or two of his drink, let them tell him off, and then he’d just tell them to order whatever they wanted – to go, if they didn’t want to stay – and make a hasty getaway.  He’d done this billionaire asshole thing a hundred times before.  It’d be easy.  Then he’d go home, have a drink and cry into his pillow.</p><p>James was talking now that the hostess had gone.  That would go into either the 'self-absorbed' square on the Dating Tony Stark bingo card or 'inattentive.'  Tony tried to tamp down his internal voice enough to hear what James was saying.</p><p>“…I didn’t know you were Tony Stark,” James said, looking pale himself.</p><p>“Are you going to explain this to me?  Or am I just supposed to figure this out on my own, Stark?” Steve sounded pissed. “Did you know who I was this whole time?  Is this just a joke to you?”</p><p>“No – jokes are funny,” Tony mumbled.  As his anxiety continued to spike, his chest felt so tight that he wondered if anyone else could hear the air whistling in and out with each wheezing breath.  On top of his mounting anxiety attack, the fact that Steve hadn’t called him ‘Tony’ at all really stung.</p><p>“Excuse me?” Steve sputtered.  Maybe next time he really would make bingo cards to hand out.  'Angry before they’d gotten the menus.'  He hadn’t been able to check that one off in a while.</p><p>James’s voice filled the space between them all, “So… since Tony’s big secret’s out of the bag, I’m Bucky Barnes – James is my real first name.”</p><p>Tony looked James – Bucky – over again.  He looked different not dressed in uniform or military dress the way Captain America usually was for press conferences and public appearances.  He stared at him wide-eyed, then words just fell from his lips almost unbidden, “Seriously?  …You no-showed at the Stark Foundation’s Valentine’s Day charity auction three years in a row.  The running side bet on whether you’d actually deign to make an appearance made almost as much money this year as some of the auction bids.”</p><p>“Four,” Steve said, the anger having abated somewhat.  “It’s four years in a row.  I did – ”</p><p>Pointing at Steve, Tony interrupted, “You! You did the fashion sketches of everyone’s eveningwear.  And you’re part of the Stark Industries subway renovation project.  I knew you were familiar.  We never really got to talk, but you’re very talented.  Rogers, right?  Steve Rogers?”</p><p>That seemed to mollify Steve a bit.  “Yeah.  I’m sorry I got so mad.  But… come on – Iron Man and Captain America?  You two must have met before.”  </p><p>Before James could speak, Tony shook his head, “Nope.  When they fished him out of the Arctic and SHIELD put together his team, I asked if he wanted any help – tech, money, a welcome to the 21st century party – whatever.  All I got was a two-sentence letter – on paper – that said he ‘couldn’t ask a civilian to put himself at risk that way.’</p><p>Steve leaned forward. “Really?”</p><p>Tony nodded and looked at James, “It was probably more than two sentences.  But less than an inch of text.”</p><p>“You told off Iron Man?” Steve turned his gaze to James – Bucky, Tony supposed – and looked positively intrigued.</p><p>James folded his arms across his chest.  “Look – I read the guy’s file.  Took one look at the recruitment assessment and I didn’t want to deal with him.”  His eyes darted from Steve back to Tony.</p><p>Tony fought against a wave of nausea.  <i>‘I don’t want to deal with it anymore, Tony.’  ‘I can’t deal with you.’  ‘I don’t want to put up with this anymore.’</i>  Some variation of the phrase was definitely on his own figurative relationship bingo card.  With any luck he’d have a black out before the waitstaff ever came to take their order.  “You read <b>my</b> file.  You didn’t want to deal with <b>me</b>.”</p><p>“Tony – that’s not –  I didn’t know you then,” Bucky protested</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes.  “What do you mean?  You had everything right there.  ‘Personality overview:  Mr. Stark displays compulsive behavior.  Textbook narcissist.  Prone to self-destructive tendencies.’”</p><p>James cut in again, miserably, “And I saw the Stark Expo – all the girls in skimpy outfits.  I’d already gone through that with one Stark.  I didn’t want to do it with another.”</p><p>Feeling like he’d been sucker-punched, Tony felt like he’d swallowed a stone.  “Really?  Comparing me to Howard?”  He stood up.  “I need some air.”</p><p> </p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p> </p><p>Bucky tried not to be antagonistic.  But he'd been called out on a decision he’d made when he’d barely been out of the ice for six months and pressured to put a team together.  He’d refused all the invitations he’d gotten from the Stark charities, but apparently someone had kept changing his RSVP cards.</p><p>When Tony stood to leave, Bucky reached out toward Tony.  “No, stay.  You and Steve have a good time.  I don’t know why I’m being such an asshole right now.”</p><p>Tony watched him warily.  One glance at the set line of Tony’s jaw, though, and Bucky knew he hadn’t been forgiven – not by a long shot.  “I’m not part of your team Barnes.  I make my own decisions.  Fuck you and whatever you’re calling this bullshit nobility crap.”  All of that hissed only loud enough for the three of them to hear.</p><p>“Do you mind if I come with you?”  Steve asked.</p><p>Bucky felt himself go pale as the feeling of an invisible weight settled on his shoulders and chest.</p><p>Tony paused, then gestured to the door with his head.  Steve stood and put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  Trying to reassure him, Bucky supposed.</p><p>He watched them leave.  The waitress came back with Tony’s drink and he managed to order an appetizer for the three of them, but couldn’t remember what it was after she’d gone.</p><p>Resting his elbows on the table, Bucky covered his face with his hands and kept coming back to the idea that this was his fault.  His conversations with Tony had been the highlight of his day.  He went over their conversation at the table again and again, trying to figure out how to salvage …anything.</p><p>His eyelashes felt damp and he could feel the rawness in the back of his throat as despair settled in.</p><p>Serum-enhanced hearing alerted him to the waitress’s return with fresh drinks for himself and Steve.  Bucky made himself sip his drink as casually as he could and tried to think of other things to talk about if Steve and Tony came back.</p><p> </p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p> </p><p>Steve followed Tony outside and noticed that he was fishing in his pocket for something - an inhaler that he fumbled and dropped.  Steve picked it up.  “Want me to hold it for you?  Your hands are shaking.”</p><p>Tony hesitated, then nodded.</p><p>Steve took off the cap and held it up.  “Okay, one, two, three.”  He pushed the inhaler tube down.  Tony inhaled and took the inhaler from Steve a moment later.</p><p>“Thanks,” Tony said before falling silent.</p><p>Steve let the silence settle between them for a few minutes before stretching his pinkie finger out and hooking it with Tony’s.  “Hey, I wanted to say I’m sorry for how I acted earlier.  Guys sometimes swipe right just to fuck with me.  That’s why I altered my profile pic.  I figured if I met somebody and they really liked me, maybe they wouldn’t care if I'm not the big beefy guy I said I was.”</p><p>Tony nodded, “I get that.  Same reason I used the photo my ex took where I didn’t have the goatee.  Not many people have seen me without it, but it’s not really a lie.”  He cleared his throat.  “I hope you don’t mind… I mean chatting’s one thing, but actually dating me might be something else.    I’d understand if you want to back out now – messing up the dates for our date….  That’s a classic Tony Stark dating move:  poor planning, easily distracted, hyper-focused on work, impulsive –”</p><p>Steve gave Tony’s hand a squeeze.  “Hey, you’ve got a lot on your plate – head of R&amp;D for a major corporation, you’re a dad, and a superhero.  Seems to me like yeah, you might be distracted sometimes.”  Glancing back at Tony, Steve went on, “It doesn’t make you a bad person.  To me, it just sounds like something we’ll have to make sure we communicate about.”</p><p>Tony mumbled, “Yeah, maybe. At least you’re not running away at full speed.”</p><p>“No offense, but my top speed’s not very fast,” Steve said chuckling and laced his fingers with Tony’s.  He looked over his shoulder and saw Bucky still sitting at their table, head in his hands.  “Hey, what about Bucky?”</p><p>“What about him?” Tony asked sullenly.</p><p>Steve wasn’t sure what to say.  “I don’t know… he seemed alright when we were talking before you got here.”</p><p>Tony’s features clouded over and his jaw set.</p><p>Before Tony could start arguing again, Steve hurried on, “I mean maybe he’s having a hard time meeting people too.  Remember those Photoshopped pics on Twitter last month?  The ones that were supposedly him in a red, white, and blue thong?  And the lady who claimed she had his baby?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Tony admitted, “maybe, but that doesn’t give him the right to use that file as an excuse to write me off.  Even after the Chitauri invasion – I was there, pulling my weight.”</p><p>“What were you hoping for?” Steve asked.</p><p>Tony sighed and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.  “I don’t know… maybe ‘Glad you were there,’ or ‘Sorry I misjudged you’?  I wasn’t expecting a big thank you or anything….  I could help and I did – it’s what anybody would’ve done.”</p><p>Steve mulled that over.  “You really never talked with him?”</p><p>“Not a word.”</p><p>“So maybe give him another chance?  He’s gotta be just as freaked out as you are right now,” Steve added.  “He knows you now – not just the public façade.”</p><p>Tony looked inside at their table.  “Well, he’s still there. He's either a masochist or overly optimistic.”  His voice sounded gentler, though, more thoughtful.  “This is some of your millennial communication psychobabble isn’t it?”</p><p>Steve grinned, “Guilty and unrepentant!”  He tilted his head toward the restaurant, “Ready?”</p><p>“As I’ll ever be,” Tony mumbled reluctantly.</p><p> </p><p>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</p><p> </p><p>Tony was feeling petty enough to get a small thrill of satisfaction when Barnes jumped when Steve sat down at the table and the ice in the glasses jingled.  His satisfaction dried up when he noticed how Barnes’ face went from flushed to pale and then stuck somewhere splotchy in the middle.  Even worse, Bucky’s eyes were red.  Tony was glad Steve had talked him into giving Bucky another chance.</p><p>“Didn’t think you two would come back,” Bucky said, his voice gravelly with suppressed emotion.</p><p>“Steve’s fault – he psychobabbled me into it, so blame him,” Tony said, trying for glib nonchalance.</p><p>“I wasn’t blaming you.  I’m just surprised, that’s all,” Bucky replied.  “I thought –” He swallowed and exhaled heavily.</p><p>“Steve said we should try communicating like adults… since we both liked each other before we knew who the other was.  …And I wanted to apologize for jumping down your throat like that.”</p><p>“That’s not quite what I said, but I’m happy to take credit for it.”  Steve grinned and that roused a small smile from Bucky.</p><p>Tony noticed a notebook on the table next to Bucky’s elbow. “What’s that?”</p><p>“I’ve been writing down stuff that people tell me I should watch or read, references I don’t understand – things like that.  When I get downtime, I’ve got the list to work on, so I don’t get overwhelmed trying to do everything at once.  My therapist suggested it.”  He looked back up, glancing between them, as if trying to gauge their reactions.</p><p>“It’s a good one,” Tony said – and meant it.</p><p>“Look – I’m sorry about what I said earlier.  That was most of my reasoning then and I didn’t know you.  To be fair, they were all surprised I didn’t include you anyway, but…”  Bucky took a deep breath.</p><p>“Most of?” Tony asked.</p><p>Bucky’s eyes flicked up to meet his and then looked back down, and rubbed at the condensation on his glass.  “Yeah… the rest was that Howard got to have all the stuff I might’ve had – a wife, kids....  ‘Cause this,” he gestured between them, including Steve with the motion as well, “wasn’t an option back then.  …I didn’t want to be reminded of the life I might’ve had.  It’s dumb as hell, I know.”</p><p>Tony covered one of Bucky’s hands with his own, “It’s not dumb. …I’m sorry for overreacting.”  Bucky looked like he was going to interrupt, so he picked up the pace with his words.  “I really liked you and I wasn’t expecting to hear anything like that today.”</p><p>“Liked? Past tense?” Bucky’s face was a study in resigned neutrality.</p><p>“No!  What I’m trying to say is can we start this date over?  I really thought my date with you and my date with Steve were on different days, but now I’m kind of glad you’re both here.  I have no clue how any of that works, but it feels like this could be something good."</p><p>“Chatting with you is the best part of my day.  I really look forward to it.”  Bucky spread his fingers to let Tony’s fall between them and squeezed.  “I thought –” his voice squeaked, and his lips twisted as he glanced away, taking a slow breath before he started speaking again.  “I thought I was gonna lose that.”</p><p>Steve gasped, making them both look in his direction, his blue eyes were wide with horror. “I just realized I made a joke about ice to Bucky Barnes.  I am so sorry – I really didn’t know who you were.”</p><p>For a moment, Bucky didn’t do anything, but then his lips twitched, and he looked down, covering his mouth with his hand.  Steve watched with dismay until he and Tony both heard Bucky wheeze with repressed laughter.</p><p>A bigger laugh bubbled up and he couldn’t hold it inside anymore.  Between giggles, Bucky squeezed Tony’s fingers again and grabbed one of Steve’s hands too.  “So, I’m gonna say no – no do-overs.  This is one hell of a meet-ugly story.  It’d be a shame to waste it, right?”  He smiled at Steve and Tony and wow – that guy needed to come with a warning label, ‘Smiles may cause heart palpitations, flushing, and lewd thoughts.’  “And just so we’re totally clear, I’m still sorry we argued and hurt each other’s feelings, but I’m glad to be with you – and no, I don’t want to go home.  Yes, I do want another date - the three of us together.”</p><p>“Great!  Excellent!”  Tony didn’t bother trying to disguise his relief and enthusiasm.</p><p>Even Steve smiled, “Told you communication worked.”</p><p>“You don’t need to be so smug about it,” Tony snarked back, then softened again.  “But I’m glad you were right."  He smiled at Steve and turned to Bucky, "So tell us more about this notebook of yours, Bucky Bear.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I tried to make this 3k or less, @HogwartstoAlexandria!  Really, I did!  I trimmed off 1k words just for you.  :)  I hope you don't mind that this is a little longer than you prefer.  I took your prompt and ran with it.  &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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